Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles and Aviation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 20 February 2017



The Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill was introduced today.

Taxis: Licensing

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many hackney carriage licences have been revoked by local authorities on the grounds of the licence holder no longer being a fit and proper person in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of hackney carriage licences revoked by local licensing authorities.

Driving: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many UK citizens do not hold either a (a) UK driving licence or (b) provisional UK driving licence.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) only holds information on the number driving licence holders in Great Britain. As of 9 February 2017 there were 47,617,391 driving licence holders registered with the DVLA. Of these, 39,651,256 hold full driving licences with 7,966,135 holding provisional licences.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates leases for the Driving Test Theory Centre in Glasgow are due for renewal.

Andrew Jones: The theory test service is contracted out to Pearson Professional Assessment Ltd who has advised that the licence for the suite at Glasgow PPC (Pearson Professional Centre) is renewable annually at the end of September.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from which landlord his Department leases the Driving Test Theory Centre in Glasgow.

Andrew Jones: The theory test service is contracted out to Pearson Professional Assessment Ltd and the lease for the Driving Theory Test Centre in Glasgow is held by the contractor.

Cycling: Road Signs and Markings

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to revise Local Transport Note 2/08, Cycle Infrastructure Design, to reflect the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

Andrew Jones: As I set out in my response to the Honourable Member’s question on 16 January (UIN 58966), the Department will consider how to refresh Local Transport Note 2/08 ‘Cycle Infrastructure Design’ to take account of the new facilities to encourage cycling introduced in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed at Glasgow Theory Test Centre in each year since 2007.

Andrew Jones: The theory test service is contracted out to Pearson Professional Assessment Ltd and staff working in the test centres are employed by Pearson VUE. There have been no civil servants employed at theory test centres in Glasgow in each year since 2007.

High Speed Two: Staff

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work will be undertaken by the new chief executive of HS2 Ltd on Crossrail and the Olympic Delivery Authority at CH2M; and what his (a) role, (b) job specification and (c) job title is for those two projects.

Andrew Jones: The new CEO Mark Thurston has left CH2M and will not be working on, Crossrail, the Olympic Delivery Authority or any other projects on behalf of CH2M. He will solely be working for HS2 Ltd.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much will be contracted to be paid from the public purse for (a) the CH2M for the Phase 2b Development Partner contract and (b) each of the Phase 2b Civil Design and Environmental Services for the (i) Lot 1 Mott Macdonald/WSP joint venture, (b) Lot 2 AECOM/Capita/INECO joint venture and (c) Lot 3 Arup.

Andrew Jones: a). Phase Two B Development Partner £130m to £170m (based on 2015 prices.) b). The values those contracts might amount to Area 1 – Manchester M2 and M3 Lot 1 Mott MacDonald Limited (Lead) / WSP UK LIMITED) -  £80m- £100m Area 2 – Leeds L1 and L2 Lot 2 AECOM Limited (Lead)/ Capita Property Infrastructure Limited / Ingenieria y Economia del Transporte, SA (INECO) - £80m- £100m Area 3 and EOC - Leeds L3 and L4 Lot 3 Ove Arup & Partners International Limited -£120m -£150m (All values are an estimate of the nominal value of each Lot based on 2015 prices)

M1: Exhaust Emissions

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 62124, whether there will be further public consultation on measures to mitigate increases in air pollution before the smart motorway, between junctions 32 to 35a of the M1 opens.

Mr John Hayes: There are no plans for any further public consultation before the smart motorway opens between junctions 32 to 35a of the M1.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: South Yorkshire

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 62120, on High Speed Railway Line 2: South Yorkshire, what the increase has been in the estimated cost of the Meadowhall route since the first estimate was made; and for what reasons that estimated cost has risen.

Andrew Jones: The Chancellor’s Spending Review announcement in November 2015 set out an updated funding envelope of £55.7bn in 2015 prices for delivering the HS2 project. The envelope was previously £50.1bn in 2011 prices as set out in the 2013 Spending Round. The cost of building HS2 has not changed since the 2013 Spending Round, as the long-term funding envelope has simply been uprated to 2015 prices to take account of inflation. Cost estimates for specific sections of route were revised in accordance with these figures. We do not provide further funding breakdowns for specific items due to commercial sensitivities.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: South Yorkshire

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 62138, on High Speed Railway Line 2: South Yorkshire, what the alternative routes to Meadowhall are that HS2 Ltd has carried out work into (a) in the past, (b) more recently and (c) currently.

Andrew Jones: In developing proposals for HS2 before the 2013 consultation, HS2 Ltd published a large number of alternative routes in South Yorkshire (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/options-for-phase-two-of-the-high-speed-rail-network). Subsequently, HS2 Ltd has reviewed these and some other alternatives in preparing recommendations to the Secretary of State before the November 2016 Command Paper. The ‘M18’ route and the spur to Sheffield are two of these alternatives. To prevent unnecessary blight, details of other alternatives have not been published. As HS2 Ltd develops the programme, including in response to the current consultation, it will continue to look at route refinements to meet engineering, environmental, stakeholder and other factors.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which employees of HS2 Ltd as of 13 February 2017 are paid £75,000 or more per year; and what the job titles and salaries of such employees are.

Andrew Jones: As of February 2017, 202 staff of HS2 Ltd are paid £75,000 and above. It would be inappropriate to provide a list of job titles and the salary for each individual employee as this would make personal information available.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the latest estimated total cost of High Speed 2, including rolling stock, from 2009 to the date on which the first trains run on all phases of the lines.

Andrew Jones: In 2011, the Government consulted on the proposed strategy for a national high speed rail network. A decision to proceed with High Speed 2 was taken in January 2012 (Cm 8247). The total spend on High Speed 2 from the financial year 2009/10 to 2011/12 was £87.7 million.Expenditure on HS2 from 2012/13 onwards is included in the long-term funding envelope for delivering HS2. The funding envelope was restated in 2015 prices in Spending Review 2015 at £55.7 billion, including rolling stock. The funding envelope is net of any proceeds from selling Land & Property that is not directly needed for construction of the railway.I am committed to managing both the cost of HS2 and ensuring maximum value for the taxpayer, and delivering within the funding available.

Home Office

Industrial Estates: Worksop

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Nottinghamshire Fire Service investigation of the former Trent Valley recycling site in Worksop in January 2017, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse should the site require ongoing fire service interventions.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has made no estimation. It is for each local fire and rescue authority to assess the risk from fire and rescue related risks in its area and determine how best to allocate its resources across its prevention, protection and operational response functions.

Deportation: West Africa

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) detainees, (b) security guards and (c) independent witnesses were on board the deportation charter flight from Glasgow Airport to West Africa on 31 January 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There was no flight from Glasgow to West Africa on 31 January 2017.

Police: Mergers

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on merging the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Home Office airport policing and the Ministry of Defence Police.

Brandon Lewis: The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 included a commitment to “integrate infrastructure policing further and to review the options to do this". We are continuing the work across Whitehall to deliver this commitment in consultation with the relevant forces.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland on the availability of places for unaccompanied children in Northern Ireland.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office is in ongoing contact with the Northern Ireland Executive at ministerial and official level to discuss participation in the Government’s resettlement schemes.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vulnerable persons have been placed in Northern Ireland as part of the current Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Progress on resettlement in each local authority is indicated in quarterly immigration statistics. The last set of statistics, published on 1 December 2016, showed that 221 Syrians have been resettled in Northern Ireland under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme between October 2015 and September 2016.

Police: Stun Guns

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will provide additional funding for a roll-out of the Taser X2 to those frontline officers who wish to be trained to carry it.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to approve the use of the Taser X2 for police forces across England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Secretary has received a formal request from the police to authorise a replacement conductive energy device for use by police forces in England and Wales. A decision will be made in due courseThe operational usage, testing and procurement of police equipment are matters for Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Refugees: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution of 9 February 2017 on unaccompanied child refugees, Official Report, columns 637-652, what the evidential basis is for her determination that the need for the scheme arising from the Dubs assessment has ceased.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Under the Immigration Act we made a commitment to transfer a specified number of unac-companied refugee children to the UK. On February 8, the Government announced that we will transfer the specified number of 350 children to the UK under section 67 of the Immigra-tion Act following consultation with local authorities on capacity. This includes the more than 200 children already transferred under section 67 from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance.  The Government has a clear strategy for addressing the migration crisis; we invest signifi-cantly in upstream interventions and we resettle the most vulnerable directly from the affected regions, including children. It is right to focus our efforts on resettling refugees from the region, and thereby avoiding perilous journeys to Europe, particularly by the most vulnerable children. That is why we have committed to resettle 20,000 Syrian nationals through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and 3,000 of the most vulnerable children and family members under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme over the course of this Parliament. We will continue to meet our obligations under the Dublin Regulation. Furthermore, the UK has established a £10 million Refugee Children’s Fund to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children arriving in Europe.

Members: Correspondence

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 21 December 2016, on the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I will reply to the hon. Member's letter shortly.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Meters

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with energy companies on arrangements for the recovery of the cost from customers' bills of the installation of smart meters.

Jesse Norman: As with traditional meters, smart meters form part of energy suppliers’ costs of providing electricity and gas to their customers – along with, for example, the wholesale costs of energy and the costs of the pipes and networks that carry the gas and electricity to customers’ premises. Smart meter costs are passed on to customers over the life of the asset, just as with traditional metering. The Government has put measures in place to prohibit energy suppliers from charging households upfront for the costs of the smart meter and its installation. Smart meters avoid the costs of manual meter reading, provide accurate bills, and give information that allows consumers to save energy. As a result, across all households energy bills are projected to be £300 million lower in 2020 than they would have been without smart meters. This saving rises to £1.2 billion of bill savings a year in 2030.

Hinkley Point C Power Station: Construction

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what account was taken of (a) the cost of land, (b) the effect on the transmission system and (c) balancing costs of the strike price for Hinkley Point C.

Jesse Norman: The Strike Price for Hinkley Point C accounts for all charges incurred by the developer in the production of electricity, including the cost of land, the generator’s share of transmission losses and an expectation of Transmission Use of Service Charges. Balancing services are not accounted for as the Strike Price for Hinkley Point C only includes costs that are directly incurred by the project.

Electricity Generation: Costs

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2017 to Question 58726, on wind power, whether the costs associated with electricity generation that make up each Strike Price comparator in the BEIS Electricity Generation Cost report are based on Frontier Economics' research into whole system impacts; and what plans he has to publish that research.

Jesse Norman: The Electricity Generation Costs report focuses on estimates of the levelised costs of electricity generation. These levelised costs cover the total capital and operating costs accruing to the owner/operator of a generation asset.To improve the Department’s understanding of the impacts of individual electricity generation technologies, Frontier Economics were commissioned to develop a comprehensive framework to define whole system impacts and their components and drivers, which can be applied to a range of electricity generation technologies. The resulting methodology report and its peer reviews will be published in due course.

Energy Intensive Industries: Productivity

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help increase productivity for the (a) chemical, (b) steel, (c) aluminium and (d) other energy-intensive industries.

Mr Nick Hurd: We have launched a consultation on an Industrial Strategy, which sets out the Government’s approach to building an economy that delivers high wages, high skills, high productivity and creates the conditions for competitive, world leading businesses across the UK. We are looking for businesses to collaborate with other stakeholders, such as universities and local leaders to produce a clear proposal for boosting the productivity of their sector. As part of the Industrial Strategy, the Government will consider how to increase energy productivity and will also set out during 2017 a long-term road map to minimise energy costs for businesses and industry.

Foreign Companies: Takeovers

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of foreign company takeovers on the UK economy.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK is one of the world’s top destinations for inward investment. As part of that, mergers can bring real benefits to consumers and the economy through higher growth, greater innovation and increased productivity.

Foreign Companies: Takeovers

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent hostile foreign takeovers of UK firms.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government’s statutory powers to intervene in mergers are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State may intervene on specified public interest grounds, currently national security, financial stability and media plurality.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase female representation on the boards of local enterprise partnerships.

Margot James: The Government believes it is in the best interests of business to tap into the widest talent pool and to have a diverse leadership which draws on a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. This is also true of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and we have set out our expectations on this in the LEP assurance framework. Each LEP must have its own diversity statement, which sets out how boards can ensure diverse representation, reflective of their local business community. This should be used to guide local decisions on appointments to the LEP Board.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Payments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will review payment dates for the Warm Home Discount Scheme to ensure that discounts are applied at the start of the winter season.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Green Investment Bank: West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands has received in financial support through local projects funded by the Green Investment Bank since that bank was established.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has invested £17.6m in the £47m Birmingham Bio Power project. Details of this project can be found on the Green Investment Bank website: http://www.greeninvestmentbank.com/news-and-insights/2013/gib-and-foresight-group-forge-consortium-to-construct-478m-renewable-energy-plant-in-birmingham/.In addition, some of GIB’s UK-wide investment platforms such as its indirect investment in LED lighting upgrades to Santander branches and NCP car parks are likely to have benefitted these areas. Further information on all of GIB’s investments can be found on its website: www.greeninvestmentbank.com

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Cameroon on the (a) arrest and detention of activists, (b) ban on civil society organisations and (c) shut down of the internet in English-speaking regions of Cameroon; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission Yaoundé is closely following the situation in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon following on from the demonstrations and strikes by lawyers and teachers. We are engaged with the Government of Cameroon and will continue to raise this with them.We have called for restraint by all involved, including in the use of force. We have reiterated the obligation to uphold human rights standards and encouraged the use of transparent legal means to address concerns. We have regularly called for issues to be resolved through broad-based dialogue, with a range of interlocutors, and a return to normality in the two regions.

China: Older People

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provides for care in the community for the elderly in China.

Alok Sharma: ​The Foreign & Commonwealth Office does not provide direct support for care in the community for the elderly in China. However, this financial year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded three projects that relate to the provision of care to the elderly in China, which all involve collaboration between UK and Chinese partners in the healthcare sector. The three projects amount to £200,000. It is worth noting that in December British organisations signed deals worth in excess of £100 million during the largest ever healthcare trade mission to China. Given wider demographic trends, the elderly care sector in China is an area of potential future commercial opportunity, to which UK providers are well-placed to respond. Sharing world class British expertise in public healthcare will therefore help to create further commercial opportunities for UK companies in China, which in turn will help safeguard and create jobs in the UK and strengthen the healthcare sector in the UK.

China: Clothing and Film

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provides for projects to develop the Chinese fashion and film industry.

Alok Sharma: This financial year, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has funded one project in China working with the fashion industry, with £65,420 funds allocated. This project involves UK cultural institutions and Higher Education providers working with Chinese policymakers and fashion professionals. The FCO has funded three projects working with the TV and film industry in China. These projects are all implemented by British organisations working with China's film industry and television production companies and policy makers improve skills, expertise, and policy frameworks for operating in international markets. One project, with £80,000 funds allocated, is designed to enhance UK-China collaboration, including on co-productions and film exports. Another project, with £79,325 funds allocated, supports building of capacity building in the Chinese TV industry. The third project, with £28,390 funds allocated, is designed to strengthen skills and Intellectual Property protection in Jiangsu's creative sector. All these projects aim to develop China's domestic and international creative and cultural industries, and to generate opportunities for international business, including UK companies already in China and other UK companies seeking access to the growing Chinese market. As an example, at the annual high-level People to People Dialogue between UK and Chinese Ministers in December, the UK agreed a TV Co-Production Treaty with China, which will deliver a boost of around £55m per year for the UK television industry by helping UK exporters access the Chinese market. FCO projects in these sectors help develop links between UK and Chinese companies.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the diplomatic implications of allegations of chemical weapon use by Syrian Government forces in Aleppo in November and December 2016.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) the UN Security Council and (b) the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on allegations of chemical weapon use by Syrian Government forces in Aleppo in November and December 2016.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons investigate recent allegations of chemical weapon use by Syrian Government forces in Aleppo in November and December 2016.

Boris Johnson: The Government condemns the use of chemical weapons, by anyone, anywhere. The Syrian regime have used chemical weapons during the conflict in breach of UN Security Council resolutions as well as Syria's obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Such actions can only exacerbate the conflict. We are deeply concerned by continuing reports of chemical weapons use in Syria, including allegations of use in Aleppo in late 2016.The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts, through both the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN Security Council, to identify and hold to account those responsible for use of chemical weapons. The UK helped ensure that the OPCW Executive Council Decision of 11 November condemned Syrian regime and Daesh use of chemical weapons and mandated the OPCW to conduct additional inspections in Syria. We have raised allegations of continuing chemical weapon use in Syria, including reports from Aleppo in November and December 2016, with the OPCW. Its Fact Finding Mission continues to examine allegations of chemical weapons use including these reports. We will reiterate our concern at reports of continued use and our determination that the UN Security Council should act when it next discusses chemical weapons use in Syria on 24 February.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2017 to Question 61655, what the media plan was prepared by his Department prior to his official visit to Serbia in November 2016; and whether that plan included communication with (a) Serbian media outlets and (b) Tanjug.

Sir Alan Duncan: As is standard practice, a media plan was developed prior to the Foreign Secretary’s official visit to Serbia in November 2016 setting out planned media activity by the Foreign Secretary and his press officials. Activities in the plan comprised an opinion piece by the Foreign Secretary (printed in the local press), a press release after the Foreign Secretary’s meeting with the Serbian Foreign Minister, a short statement with the Serbian Prime Minister ahead of their bilateral meeting, and the use of social media. The media plan did not specify particular Serbian media outlets, including Tanjug.

South Sudan: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote peace and human rights in South Sudan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK continues to pursue every opportunity to call on all parties in the conflict in South Sudan to cease hostilities and engage in a genuine dialogue. We are working closely with the UN, African Union and other partners to facilitate an inclusive dialogue in an effort to revive the peace process.

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Institutions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 8.42 of the White Paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm 9417, published in February 2017, if he will list all the EU agencies to be included in discussions with the EU and Member States on the UK's future status and arrangements with regard to those agencies.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in the recent White Paper (The United Kingdom’s exit from and new partnership with the European Union), the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States our future status and arrangements with regard to EU agencies. It would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of the negotiations.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its work to increase renewable energy (a) investment and (b) consumption in developing countries.

James Wharton: All DFID projects are monitored for value for money and results through annual reviews, which are published on the development tracker section of the DFID website. In programming new activities, DFID works with its partners to identify and deliver priorities across the energy spectrum, from generation to transmission, distribution and end-consumption, covering on-grid as well as decentralised off-grid renewable energy.

Trade Agreements: Sustainable Development

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that future trade negotiations between the UK and developing countries support sustainable development in those countries.

Rory Stewart: The Government committed to investing in development to build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world with a focus on helping developing countries leave aid dependency behind to become our trading partners of the future. We are currently reviewing the UK future trade policy as we prepare to leave the EU. The Department for International Trade and the Department for International Development are working together to decide how our future trading arrangements can support sustainable development.

Developing Countries: Common Customs Tariffs

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the Common External Tariff on developing countries.

Rory Stewart: Leaving the Common External Tariff ensures we can take advantage of the opportunity to negotiate our own preferential trade agreements around the world. We are looking into options for future trading arrangements, recognising the need for a smooth transition which minimises disruption for developing countries.

Commonwealth: Development Aid

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to promote development across the Commonwealth.

Rory Stewart: Our commitment to the Commonwealth is unwavering. Many of DFID’s largest bilateral programmes are with Commonwealth countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. In 2015, six of the ten largest recipients of bilateral UK ODA were Commonwealth countries, with £2.11 billion allocated to 39 members.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Rory Stewart: Yemen is on the brink of famine. According to the UN, more than 10 million people require immediate humanitarian aid to survive, including half a million children under 5 who are severely malnourished. The UN has launched the largest ever humanitarian appeal for Yemen, requesting $2.1 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 12 million people in 2017. In 2015 and 2016, the UK helped over 1 million Yemenis with food, medical assistance and clean water. We are encouraging others in the international community to step up their response in Yemen.

Occupied Territories: Human Rights

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to NGOs promoting human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Rory Stewart: DFID’s bilateral programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories currently funds human rights NGOs providing legal assistance to Palestinians, through a multi-donor access to justice programme implemented by UN agencies.

Department for Education

Schools: North Tyneside

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost was to the public purse of rebuilding schools in North Tyneside in 2016.

Nick Gibb: North Tyneside Schools received approximately £4.8m in Devolved Formula Capital and School Condition Allocations for 2016/17.Under the Priority School Building Programme which targets funding to rebuild and refurbish those schools in the worst condition across the country, there are 4 schools in North Tyneside that are receiving investment of £46.8m and a further school due to receive investment.Under the Condition Improvement Fund, which is an annual bidding round to which academies and sixth-form colleges can apply for capital funding for building works, 2 schools were allocated funds in excess of £1.7m in 2016/17.

Pre-school Education

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish its revised statutory guidance and model agreement for local authorities on the provision of early education and childcare.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department will publish revised statutory guidance and the model agreement for local authorities and providers on the provision of early education and childcare in the spring. The guidance will come into force in September 2017.

Children: Day Care

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the three and four year-old extended childcare entitlement pilot scheme in York.

Caroline Dinenage: Delivery of the 30 hours in York is going well, with over 1100 parents already accessing a place for their child. We also know that, of the providers previously delivering the current entitlements in York, 100% are signed up to deliver the 30 hours offer as part of early implementation. We will continue to engage with York City Council and providers to gather as much learning as possible ahead of September 2017, when the offer is rolled out across the country. We have commissioned an independent evaluation of Early Implementation of the extended entitlement. This evaluation will focus on generating learning that can be used by Early Implementers and all local authorities ahead of national rollout in September 2017. There will be a national event in the spring to share learning, and a formal evaluation report will be published in the summer. The Department has already demonstrated its commitment to evaluating the longer-term impact of free entitlement by publishing an evaluation feasibility study in February 2016, and gaining independent advice on the data and methods open to us.

Children: Day Care

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings her Department has had with (a) City of York Council and (b) early years providers in York to discuss the three and four year-old extended childcare entitlement pilot scheme since September 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is in regular communication with City of York council via fortnightly catch up calls, set up prior to September 2016, to discuss the delivery of the 30 hours free childcare entitlement. We have also held two Early Implementation (EI) meetings with all EI local authorities (LAs) to share progress and learning since September 2016. There have also been a number of Learn Explore and Debate events held across the country for providers, organised by the Department’s delivery contractor, Childcare Works. At these events, EI local authorities have discussed how to support providers to deliver 30 hours’ free childcare in their areas. The Department will continue to hold regular communications with City of York Council regarding the 30 hours offer, and Childcare Works have already organised a series of events over the next few months for LAs and providers across the country. I will also be meeting with York providers in the near future.

Department for Education: Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff are working in her Department's selective education team.

Caroline Dinenage: I would refer the hon.member to PQ4768 which was answered on 24 October 2016 by the Minister of State for School Standards.The response can be found at:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=47686

Students: Loans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on the proposed sale of the student loans book; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has received a limited amount of correspondence in relation to the sale of part of the student loan book.

Ministry of Justice

Electronic Tagging

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2017 to Question 59530, what the reason for the time taken in answering that Question was.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice recognises that as a result of process and system changes we have experienced a recent reduction in performance with regard to QWA responses. The Department has assured me that they have taken steps to rectify this, including making further process improvements.

Leader of the House

English Votes for English Laws: EU Law

Lady Hermon: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will hold discussions with his Cabinet colleagues to ensure that Standing Orders Numbers 83J to 83Y do not apply to proceedings relating to the Great Repeal Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Standing Orders of the House of Commons will apply to the Great Repeal Bill in the usual way.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Mass Media: Complaints

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the progress update to the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism Inquiry into the rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents following the Gaza conflict in 2014, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in December 2016, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are clear ways to register complaints regarding media content.

Matt Hancock: The press self-regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS) each have a clear process for making complaints regarding the publications they regulate. Information about IPSO's complaints process is available here: https://www.ipso.co.uk/make-a-complaint/. Information about IMPRESS's complaints process is available here: http://www.impress.press/complaints/. Ofcom's process for complaints covers content on television, radio and on demand programme services. The Broadcasting code includes rules designed to protect viewers and listeners from harm and offence – such as what can be screened on TV before the 9pm watershed. Other areas of the Broadcasting Code address issues such as impartiality and accuracy, sponsorship and commercial references as well as fairness and privacy. Information about Ofcom's complaints process is available here https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/how-to-report-a-complaint In addition, Government expects social media providers to have robust process in place and act promptly when abuse is reported. The UK has strict laws governing such content, which apply equally online and offline.

Broadband: Subsidies

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) households and (b) businesses have participated in the Government's Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme.

Matt Hancock: The department and its local body partners have issued 13,475 Better Broadband codes since the beginning of the scheme in 2015. Over 4,200 codes have so far been redeemed with a supplier. Approximately 10% of these have been issued in Scotland. The Department does not differentiate between homes or businesses. To be eligible for a code the applicant should be in a premise receiving broadband speeds of less than 2mbits/s and where there are no plans to provide a superfast connection in the near future.

Data Protection: EU Law

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the General Data Protection Regulation will be implemented in the UK.

Matt Hancock: The General Data Protection Regulation will be directly applicable to UK law.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2017 to Question 62532, what the number of security passes issued by her Department to people not employed by her Department is; what business needs suffice for such a security pass to be granted; and what the number of passes issued to people who work for private companies which have currently or previously been awarded government contracts or which are bidding for such contracts is.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon Member to the answer to PQ 62532

Dormant Assets Commission

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has received the recommendations of the Dormant Assets Commission.

Mr Rob Wilson: The independent Commission on Dormant Assets is expected to present its findings and recommendations to Government shortly. Publication will follow in due course.

Football Association

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has provided to the Football Association in the last year; and how that funding has been spent.

Tracey Crouch: Through Sport England, the Government has provided £8,453,501 in 2016/17 to the Football Association. This includes funding to grassroots coaching, and to programmes which are designed to increase the number of children and young people playing the game, encourage more disabled people to play football and help talented disabled and women footballers develop their potential. The Government is also a joint funder with the Premier League and the FA in the Football Foundation that invests millions each year into improving community football facilities in towns and cities across England. This year alone we have invested £18million, including £8 million to the Parklife programme, which aims to create over 100 football hubs in English cities by 2020.

S4C: Reviews

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the independent review of S4C will consider the effects on S4C of recent changes to the BBC's governance and responsibilities.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the effects on S4C of recent and developing technologies will be included in the terms of reference for the independent review of S4C.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the independent review of S4C will consider the effect of the Government's financial contribution to S4C.

Matt Hancock: As the Secretary of State set out in February 2016 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-protects-funding-for-welsh-broadcaster-s4c--2) the independent review of S4C will look at the funding, governance and remit of S4C. The full scope of the review will be set out in the terms of reference in due course.

Third Sector: Tax Allowances

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Office for Civil Society has been consulted on recent proposed changes to Social Investment Tax Relief.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations have been made by the Office for Civil Society to HM Revenue and Customs on proposed changes to Social Investment Tax Relief.

Mr Rob Wilson: Officials from the Office for Civil Society were consulted on the recent proposed changes to Social Investment Tax Relief. This included discussions with colleagues from both HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Tynemouth

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants subject to the lower benefit cap in Tynemouth are in receipt of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) housing benefit and (e) another benefit.

Caroline Nokes: The information is provided in the table below. Estimated breakdown of households affected by the lower cap levels by benefit receipt, 2016/17, GB Benefit ReceivedProportion of Capped HouseholdsNorth Tyneside CouncilGreat BritainEmployment and Support Allowance20%21%Income Support62%49%Jobseeker's Allowance17%21%Other1%9%Total (Housing Benefit)100%100% These estimates focus on the benefit cap continuing to be applied under Housing Benefit and therefore all households affected will be in receipt of Housing Benefit. The benefit cap will increasingly be applied under Universal Credit as it gradually rolls out. Universal Credit will replace Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-based Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit, along with Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Notes:Figures may not sum due to rounding.Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, would cause the number of households affected to reduce and may change the proportional split.The methodology used to estimate the households affected by the cap is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap

Carers' Benefits

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will assess the merits of introducing a care costs payment for all carers, including those over state pension age.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government is spending record amounts on supporting carers, including those in Scotland, through the benefit system. Carer’s Allowance itself provides a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. Means tested benefits such as Income Support and Pension Credit include additional amounts for carers and are available to low income carers of working age and over state pension age respectively. The additional amounts mean that lower-income carers can be better off than others who receive these benefits. Both Carer’s Allowance, and the additional amounts for carers, are paid in addition to the extra costs disability benefits (such as Attendance Allowance), which are designed to provide a contribution towards the extra costs that people with long-term health conditions and disabilities can face.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2017 to Question 63189, what steps his Department plans to take for those employees at Eastern Avenue, Sheffield for whom a move would breach the mobility rule but who do not consent to a change.

Damian Hinds: The Department will not breach the mobility rules within employee’s contracts as part of proposals to relocate staff and services from the current Jobcentre at Eastern Avenue, Sheffield. If an employee were to move outside of their contractual mobility it would only be with their agreement. We expect all staff to be relocated to nearby offices. Individual meetings between local DWP managers and their staff began after the announcements on 26 January 2017 and this is an opportunity to discuss mobility or any other aspects of the proposals. We recognise that DWP staff are our most valuable resource and we will continue to ensure that there is proper consultation with them and trade unions.

Welfare State: Consultation Papers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish the social justice green paper before the 2017 Budget statement.

Damian Hinds: Our green paper on social justice will be published in due course. It will set out our approach to tackling child poverty and disadvantage.

Unemployed People: Territorial Army

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is given to Jobcentre Plus staff to encourage jobseekers to join the Territorial Army or Army Cadets.

Damian Hinds: We recognise and encourage volunteering and unpaid work opportunities, such as the Territorial Army or Army Cadets, as an excellent way of preparing for work and improving the claimant's prospects of finding work. Work coaches are encouraged to discuss voluntary and unpaid work opportunities where appropriate with a claimant. However, guidance does not list individual organisations.

Jobcentres: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date a Minister of his Department last visited a jobcentre in (a) Coventry South and (b) the West Midlands.

Damian Hinds: The date of the last ministerial visit to a jobcentre specifically in Coventry South could only be provided at disproportionate costs. The last ministerial visit to a jobcentre in the West Midlands was on the 2nd February 2017. The Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds MP, visited Solihull.

Department for Work and Pensions: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many security passes to access his Department have been issued to employees of (a) Serco, (b) Capita, (c) Atos, (d) Concentrix and (e) G4S over the last year.

Caroline Nokes: All security passes allowing access to the Department are issued locally and controlled by each office. Centrally held records are not kept and the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment into the potential merits of amending the Child Maintenance Services' (CMS) variation rules to (a) better reflect the financial capacity of a person to pay and (b) include categories of wealth which fall outside the CMS criteria.

Caroline Nokes: Within the 2012 scheme of child maintenance, a broad spectrum of taxable income can be taken into account in the maintenance calculation as part of a variation. We believe all parents have a responsibility to financially contribute to their children’s upbringing and the best way we have of establishing a fair contribution is a calculation of their liability based on their income level. The definition of income within variations is designed to make the best use of additional sources of taxable income captured by self-assessment, referred to as ‘unearned income’. This includes income from property, savings and investments and other miscellaneous sources. Receiving ‘unearned income’ information directly from HM Revenue and Customs makes it more difficult for individuals to seek to minimise the amount of child maintenance they pay. A variation can also be considered if a receiving parent has evidence that a paying parent is diverting income. We have no plans to widen our variation categories further.

Department for Work and Pensions: Annesley

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what criteria his Department's back-of-house administrative site at Annesley has been selected for closure.

Damian Hinds: Waterfront House Annesley is a relatively small processing office and does not fit with our long term strategic aim to have large multi-functional, digitally enabled processing offices. We have more processing capacity across our national network than we need and as a consequence, Waterfront House is no longer needed. The proposal is to rebalance the work to other locations across the national network. It is important to stress that this is a proposed closure: We will make a final decision informed by the consultation process with our colleagues.

Department for Work and Pensions: Annesley

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where staff based at his Department's back-of-house administrative site at Annesley will be relocated to after its planned closure.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions is now consulting with colleagues in Waterfront House, Annesley. We are seeking to relocate, or offer alternative roles, to all employees affected by the proposed closure. It is important to stress that this is a proposed closure: we will make a final decision informed by the consultation process with our colleagues. We are not therefore in a position to confirm where staff currently based at Waterfront House, Annesley will be relocated to until the consultation process is concluded.

Jobcentres: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to visit a jobcentre in (a) Coventry South and (b) the West Midlands.

Damian Hinds: The Secretary of State regularly visits DWP sites, including Jobcentres, in different parts of the country.

Department for Work and Pensions: Annesley

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the relocation of jobs from his Department's Annesley back-of-house site on the local economy.

Damian Hinds: We have considered the wider impacts of the local economy when developing our proposals for the processing site at Annesley. The economic impact of employment is dispersed beyond the specific location of a workplace and the staff currently based at Annesley already live in the broader area around the site. While we expect the majority of these staff to be relocated, it is unlikely that a significant proportion of them will also move their place of residence.

Department for Work and Pensions: Annesley

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there will be compulsory redundancies as a result of the planned closure of his Department's Annesley back-of-house site.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions is now consulting with colleagues in Waterfront House, Annesley. We are seeking to relocate, or offer alternative roles, to all employees affected by the proposed closure. It is important to stress that this is a proposed closure: we will make a final decision informed by the consultation process with our colleagues. We are not therefore in a position to comment on the potential for redundancy.

Department for Work and Pensions: Annesley

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the expected costs are of relocating staff and resources from his Department's Annesley back-of-house site.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions is now consulting with colleagues in Waterfront House, Annesley. We are seeking to relocate, or offer alternative roles, to all employees affected by the proposed closure. It is important to stress that this is a proposed closure: we will make a final decision informed by the consultation process with our colleagues. We are not therefore in a position to confirm expected costs of relocating staff and resources from Waterfront House, Annesley until the consultation process is concluded.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Military Intervention

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many allegations of humanitarian law violations by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen his Department is tracking; and if he will place in the Library the reports relating to each such allegation.

Sir Michael Fallon: Holding answer received on 07 February 2017



The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is tracking 257 allegations of breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen. Details of the MOD's analysis of these allegations are necessarily confidential.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel received a resettlement grant after a level one medical discharge from the armed forces in each of the last three years, broken down by service branch.

Mark Lancaster: No personnel received a resettlement grant after a Tier One medical discharge from the Armed Forces in any of the last three years. When a member of the Armed Forces is medically discharged they receive a lump sum payment; there is no entitlement to a resettlement grant.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK-supplied aircraft have been used by Saudi Arabia to drop munitions in Yemen.

Harriett Baldwin: UK-built and licensed Typhoon and Tornado aircraft from the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) have been deployed on combat missions in the Yemen campaign.

Armed Forces Covenant

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which local authorities applied for the (a) Covenant Fund Grant and (b) the Community Covenant Grant Scheme; how much each of those local authorities received from each of those schemes; which local authorities applied for the Covenant Fund in the 2015-16 round; and how much was awarded to each such applicant to that round.

Mark Lancaster: The new Local Authorities grant programme aims to distribute £4 million in Financial Years 2016-17 and 2017-18. The programme supports Local Authorities in their delivery of their commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant. Local Authorities have been able to apply to the Covenant Fund since July 2016. Decisions will be made by the Covenant Fund National Panel on 23 March 2017 as to the first year's funding, and published on the Armed Forces Covenant website. Until the grant awards have been made it would be inappropriate to say which Local Authorities submitted applications. In addition, Local Authorities are also eligible to bid for smaller grants of up to £20,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant Local Grants.

Medical Records: Armed Forces

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance is provided to the armed forces to ensure that service records are provided in a timely manner to civilian NHS organisations.

Mark Lancaster: On leaving the Armed Forces, individuals are issued with a discharge letter and an intermediate summary of their in-service care, including relevant referral letters and results. Individuals are advised to pass this information to their new NHS GP. This information also explains how the NHS GP can obtain their patient's full military medical records if required.As a fail-safe, and provided the patient has given consent, the same information is automatically sent to their NHS GP upon registration. The NHS GP will also be informed about the patient's status as a veteran.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Disability: Public Lavatories

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of changing places facilities in shopping centres across the UK.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 16 January 2017



The UK Government continues to support increased provision of Changing Places toilets and in 2013 guidance on changing places was introduced in to Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations in England which states that:"In large building developments separate facilities for baby changing and an enlarged unisex toilet incorporating an adult changing table are desirable. Facilities incorporating adult changing tables are more commonly known as Changing Places Toilets and further guidance is available from the Changing Places Campaign website (www.changing-places.org) or by reference to guidance in section 12.7 and Annex G of BS8300"In 2015 the UK Government and the devolved administrations provided a grant to MENCAP and the British Toilet Association, to develop a website mapping the location of every changing places toilet in the UK.

Non-domestic Rates: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on local businesses of an increase of 36 per cent of the rateable value of business properties in Hammersmith; and if he will increase the threshold of small business rate relief in London in his next Budget.

Mr Marcus Jones: For the minority of businesses facing an increase as a result of the revaluation, the Government is putting in place a £3.6 billion in transitional relief that caps and phases any rises in their bills. At Budget 2016, the Government announced a £6.7 billion package of cuts in business rates. This included the permanent doubling of small business rate relief to 100 per cent, and an increase in the threshold for 100 per cent relief from £6,000 to £12,000 rateable value. As a result of these changes, 600,000 businesses will pay no rates at all.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that legislation introduced under the Deregulation Act 2015 on preventing retaliatory and revenge evictions is being enforced.

Gavin Barwell: For tenancies that started after 1 October 2015, the Deregulation Act 2015 protects tenants from retaliatory eviction by their landlord in certain circumstances. Where a tenant makes a genuine complaint about the condition of their property and the landlord does not reply or responds by issuing a section 21 eviction notice, the tenant should approach their local authority.The local authority is responsible for carrying out an inspection to verify the need for repair. If the inspection verifies the tenant’s complaint and the local authority serves an Improvement Notice or Notice of Emergency Remedial Action, the landlord cannot evict the tenant for 6 months using the no-fault eviction procedure (a section 21 eviction). A ‘no fault’ eviction is one where the tenant does not have to have done anything wrong, for example not paying the rent, to be asked to leave.A landlord also cannot evict a tenant using a Section 21 notice where the landlord has not complied with certain legal obligations including providing Gas Safety and Energy Performance Certificates. The restriction on the service of an eviction notice is lifted as soon as these documents are provided.

Public Lavatories: Disability

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the number of Changing Places toilet facilities in public places.

Gavin Barwell: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 January 2017, on Winter Flooding 2015-16, HCWS412, what the cost (a) in total and (b) of each constituent element of making an application to the EU Solidarity Fund was.

Andrew Percy: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 January 2017, on Winter Flooding 2015-16, HCWS412, how much of the £60 million in assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund has been attributed to the effect of clawback through the UK rebate.

Andrew Percy: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the Government first became aware that payments to the EU were required in relation to the UK's 2007 Solidarity Fund application.

Andrew Percy: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay was for staff in his Department who were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) white, (iv) from an ethnic minority background, (v) disabled and (vi) non-disabled in the most recent year for which information is available, broken down by (A) full-time and (B) part-time workers.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. It is not possible to provide specific pay analysis broken down by representative groups. Many of the representative groups compromise fewer than 5 people, and individuals may become potentially identifiable. The Office for National Statistics annually publish the highest and median salary for each Civil Service organisation, including the Scotland Office, as part of the Civil Service Statistics. This information can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/medianpayannexb

HM Treasury

Government: Assets

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, what the criteria is for determining the level of economic or social return when considering the sales of government assets.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, how his Department defines value for money in relation to the policy to sell public assets; and whether he will place a copy of the evidence base for that definition in the Library.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, what criteria his Department is using to determine whether there is a policy reason to continue to own government assets.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, who in his Department is responsible for the sale process of public assets.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, what methodology his Department will use to assess market conditions as part of the sale process of public assets.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, how the Government will inform the House when a sale of a public asset is completed.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury’s “Green Book” outlines the framework that is used to assess the value for money of public spending decisions, including asset sales. Supplementary guidance is provided in “Value for money and the valuation of public sector assets”. The Department to whom an asset belongs is responsible for the sale process of that asset. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the minister responsible for the financial sector assets which the Treasury owns (Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and UK Asset Resolution). Whether there is a policy reason for the government to continue to hold an asset is assessed on a case-by-case basis. With regards to student loans, the policy objective of issuing a loan is to allow access to higher education. This purpose is achieved once the loan is made. The government takes expert advice on market conditions ahead of any significant asset sale. The government will inform the House by way of a statement when the sale of a significant public asset is completed.

EU Grants and Loans

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that the value of EU structural funds is met by the  Government after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr David Gauke: The Government will guarantee projects funded by European Structural and Investment Funds where contracts have been signed prior to the UK leaving the EU. Such assurances apply even when these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Funding for these projects will be honoured by the Government provided they are good value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Mr David Burrowes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of uptake of the marriage tax allowance is; what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of that allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Marriage Allowance was introduced in April 2015, to recognise the importance of marriage in the tax system and support those on low incomes. Over 1.6 million couples have successfully applied for the Marriage Allowance, with around one million applying so far in this tax year. The Government is committed to raising awareness of the savings the allowance will bring to eligible couples. HM Revenue and Customs ran a marketing campaign in the autumn of 2016, comprising radio, digital, social media and search engine advertising. A further round of advertising commenced on 20 February and will run through to 31 March 2017. As with all efforts to promote awareness of tax reliefs and allowances, the Government will keep the effectiveness of these marketing campaigns under review.

Coinage: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Mims Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the national economy of counterfeit coinage within general distribution.

Mr David Gauke: Maintaining a coinage that is robust against the threat of counterfeiting is an important objective for HM Treasury as the issuing authority for UK coins. It is important to have a currency in which there is widespread confidence as well as protecting taxpayers and businesses from the cost of counterfeit coins. HM Treasury and The Royal Mint work together to closely monitor the counterfeiting levels of UK coins. On 28 March 2017, a new 12-sided £1 coin will be introduced to combat high levels of counterfeiting of the current £1 coin. Approximately one in thirty of the current £1 coins in circulation are counterfeits.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to encourage banks to impose the voluntary cap on overdraft charges for personal current accounts recommended by the Competition and Markets Authority in 2016; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of that cap on customers' accounts where it has been imposed.

Simon Kirby: The government is committed to increasing competition in banking and welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) final report on its retail banking market investigation as an important step towards the goal of a highly competitive banking system. The CMA proposed a series of remedies in its final report to improve overdraft transparency. This includes requiring all personal current account providers to set a monthly maximum charge (MMC) for unarranged overdraft charges by Q3 2017. The CMA also recommended that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assesses the ongoing effectiveness of the MMC and considers whether other measures could be taken to further enhance its effectiveness.In addition to this, the Government welcomed the FCA’s commitment to look in more detail at overdrafts from both a consumer and competition perspective, as part of its broader review of the high-cost credit market.

Primary Education: North Tyneside

Mary Glindon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the estimated annual cost of the apprenticeship levy will be to primary schools in North Tyneside constituency; and if he will make it his policy to seek small school exemption from the levy.

Jane Ellison: The apprenticeship levy will apply across the UK and will be collected from employers on a UK-wide basis. The Government wants as many schools as possible to take advantage of apprenticeships. It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the amount of the levy which will be paid by individual schools. However, the expected yield for the apprenticeship levy is published in table C.5: ‘Current Receipts’, in the Autumn Statement 2016 document. This is available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571559/autumn_statement_2016_web.pdf. The Government has been clear that there will be no exemptions to paying the apprenticeship levy.

Self-employed: Welfare Tax Credits

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of self-employment on distribution of in-work tax credits.

Mr David Gauke: It is estimated that just under a quarter of in-work tax credit claimants receive income from self-employment. This proportion has remained broadly stable since 2012-13. HM Revenue and Customs continues to monitor trends in self-employment amongst tax credit claimants to inform their expenditure forecasts, policy development and operational performance.

Customs

Emma Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 8.44 of the White Paper, entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm9417, published in February 2017, what the average time taken was for customs declarations submitted (a) electronically and (b) non-electronically in the UK to be cleared in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The average time taken to process electronic customs declarations is defined in the contract with the service supplier. This states that 95% should be processed in 5 seconds and 99.9% in 20 seconds. These targets have been achieved for each of the last three years. Non-electronic customs declarations are input by HM Revenue and Customs to the electronic system. Once these customs declarations are on the electronic system, the above clearance times are achieved.

Customs

Emma Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 8.44 of the White Paper, entitled The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, Cm9417, published in February 2017, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of customs declarations in the UK were submitted electronically in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: In 2014, 66,585,140 declarations were submitted, of which 99% were submitted electronically. In 2015, 77,493,171 declarations were submitted, of which 99% were submitted electronically. In 2016, 55,234,357 declarations were submitted, of which 99% were submitted electronically.

Cabinet Office

Social Services: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many workers from other EU countries were employed in the UK's adult social care workforce in each of the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Employment
(PDF Document, 212.48 KB)

Government: Assets

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many properties and assets the Government fully owns in Glasgow Central constituency.

Ben Gummer: The Government has 69 freehold holdings in Glasgow Central, of which 68 are land holdings held by the Department for Transport.

Population

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the February 2017 release of the Overview of the UK Population series has been cancelled; what plans the Office of National Statistics has to publish such releases in the future; and what plans there are to continue that series in future.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - UK Population
(PDF Document, 64.76 KB)

Telecommunications: Fees and Charges

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason telecommunication charges advertised on the GOV.UK website were changed from 7 February 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Government Digital Service (GDS) maintain the GOV.UK content related to telecommunication charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges). However, it is not responsible for government policy in this area and actual call charges depend on individual communication providers.GDS update the page regularly to ensure the information presented to users is accurate and reflects the current information published by the communications regulator in the UK, Ofcom.The changes on 7 February 2017 were made by GDS following the updated information published by Ofcom in January 2017.

Government Departments: Digital Technology

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the data custodians referred to in the publication, Government Transformation Strategy: better use of data, published on 9 February 2017, are individual people or external organisations.

Ben Gummer: The reference to ‘data custodians’ in the Government Transformation Strategy refers to named individuals, located within public sector organisations. The role of the data custodian is to be responsible for the live, operational data contained within a ‘register’ - a high-quality, authoritative list of information.

Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has read the six recommendations in the WebRoots Democracy report, Democracy 2:0: Hitting refresh on the Digital Democracy Commission; and what plans he has to (a) reform political education in schools and colleges and (b) pilot the option of online voting in elections.

Chris Skidmore: I have read the six recommendations in The Institute for Digital Democracy’s report ‘Democracy 2:0: Hitting refresh on the Digital Democracy Commission’. The Government is committed to building a modern democracy that works for everyone, and I am visiting all nations and areas of the UK to hear how the government can promote political participation and voter registration. This includes listening to ways in which we can contribute to citizenship teaching in schools and colleges. With regards to e-voting, there are no plans to introduce this at this time.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2017 to Question 61491, which countries have expressed an interest in agreeing trade deals with the UK with whom a working group and dialogue on our future trading relationship have not been announced.

Greg Hands: Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. In line with normal international practice, it would not be appropriate to routinely provide details of private diplomatic engagement with foreign governments.Working groups are just one example of how we are engaging with our trading partners. Engagement ranges from informal contact through our network of Posts, discussions with embassies and High Commissions in London, to ministerial discussions and visits, and the Prime Minister’s 20 Trade Envoys.

Trade Agreements: Staff

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2017 to Question 60711, how many UK-based full-time equivalent staff of his Department are in the working group on  the UK's future trading relationship with (a) Australia, (b) China, (c) India, (d) New Zealand, (e) Norway, (f) South Korea and (g) the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Greg Hands: The number of officials working on trade policy has increased from 45 before the referendum to 185. Under the Autumn Statement, the Trade Policy Group has funding to increase resourcing further in 2017-18. In line with the approach of many of our counterparts, trade policy officials work flexibly on a range of issues, including cross-cutting policy work, so we do not allocate a fixed number of staff to specific working groups with particular countries.

Prime Minister

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has established a temporary or permanent cabinet committee or sub-committee to prepare for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mrs Theresa May: The UK government is working closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat to prepare for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018. I, along with Cabinet colleagues, will oversee preparations to ensure the Summit is a cross-government effort, supported by a dedicated unit in the Cabinet Office, in line with previous summits.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Domestic Waste: Food

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce food waste in households.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government is working with food businesses and other stakeholders under the Courtauld Commitment 2025 to meet an ambitious industry target of a 20% per capita reduction in total food and drink waste arising in the UK by 2025. To reduce household food waste, WRAP is working with leading food businesses to develop on-pack, in-store and online information for the most wasted food and drink products, agree industry-wide best practice and engage their customers. WRAP also provides advice directly to consumers through the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. The campaign works with retailers and brands, local councils, businesses and community groups to provide resources such as well-researched motivational messages, food storage advice and recipes that help consumers to make best use of the food they buy.

Environment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department has not yet announced a date of publication for its 25-year plan for the environment.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We aim to publish a green paper consulting on our ambitions for the 25 year environment plan in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the letter of 15 November 2016 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh East, resent on 6 January 2017, on a constituent's Freedom of Information request.

George Eustice: A reply to your letter has been sent to you on 22 February 2017.

Department of Health

Neuromuscular Disorders: South East

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2017 to Question 60683, on neuromuscular disorders: South East, how many neuromuscular care advisors will cover Kent, Surrey and Sussex; which clinical commissioning groups in Kent, Surrey and Sussex will contribute to funding neuromuscular care advisor roles; what the remit will be of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in this process; and when it is planned for relevant clinical commissioning groups to finalise job descriptions and begin recruitment.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that includes an exemplar service specification for neuromuscular conditions that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The service specification for neurological care can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdfThe responsibility for delivering the service rests with National Health Service provider organisations, and each trust will develop an appropriate role to ensure that the care pathway is delivered. The role may vary depending on the provider organisation, but an NHS England service specialist will be working with trusts to ensure that they meet the requirements of the overall service specification.

General Practitioners: South West

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans for NHS England to publish its plans for allocation of the £326,000 of funding from the General Practice Forward View to be spent in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Sustainability and Transformation Plan.

David Mowat: In line with the General Practice Forward View, NHS England will be providing £326,000 of “resilience funding” to help general practitioner (GP) practices in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire tackle rising pressure and workload. This funding is being delegated to Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) which have added an additional £200,000 of funding to enable the 18 clusters of GP practices to work together to develop a resilience plan tailored to the local area. The funding is being used for a BNSSG wide initiative which includes reducing use of locum staff, establishing flexible working and running a joint recruitment campaign. Practices facing particular challenges will also be offered close support from neighbouring practice managers and clinical staff. The funding allocation was agreed by NHS England South (South West) Directors in August last year and notified to all local GP practices by CCGs and Sustainability and Transformation Plan leaders. NHS England is currently transferring the funding to the CCGs under a Memorandum of Understanding.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England has placed a cap on the number of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation procedures that can be performed nationally or in any locality.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Internal Medicine commissioning policy plans are for the provision of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation; and if he will ensure that such plans are published.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish its commissioning policy on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

David Mowat: NHS England published its policy on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) For Aortic Stenosis in 2013. The policy is available here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/a09-p-a.pdf The evidence base was reviewed again in 2015 but was not considered sufficiently strong to warrant changing the current policy. Clinical advice indicated that there was a need to consider the Aortic Stenosis pathway as a whole and the different surgical approaches, rather than only considering TAVI. Further work on this pathway is expected to take place in 2017/18 as part of the Internal Medicine Work Programme. NHS England’s policy position on Aortic Stenosis, including TAVI, is also expected to be within the scope of the national Cardiac Review, which will begin in 2017. Stakeholder engagement is informing the scope of the review and further public engagement will be integral to informing NHS England’s future commissioning approach. NHS England has not set a cap on the number of TAVI procedures at a national or local level, where the published policy states that TAVI would be routinely commissioned.

Neuromuscular Disorders: South East

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2016 to Question 58050, on neuromuscular disorders: South East, how many neuromuscular care advisers will cover Kent, Surrey and Sussex; which clinical commissioning groups in Kent, Surrey and Sussex will be contributing to funding neuromuscular care adviser roles; when the relevant clinical commissioning groups will be meeting to finalise job descriptions and begin recruitment; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that includes an exemplar service specification for neuromuscular conditions that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The service specification for neurological care can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdfThe responsibility for delivering the service rests with National Health Service provider organisations, and each trust will develop an appropriate role to ensure that the care pathway is delivered. The role may vary depending on the provider organisation, but an NHS England service specialist will be working with trusts to ensure that they meet the requirements of the overall service specification.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Sir Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to provide protections to NHS frontline staff against violent and dangerous patients similar to those provided for police and fire officers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: National Health Service staff are committed to providing health services and work hard to do so. They should not expect to suffer violence at work and this must not be tolerated. The priority is to prevent violence through measures to protect staff and by managing potentially risky situations before they escalate. Employers in the NHS are responsible for assessing the risks of violence to their staff, for taking action to address these through prevention work, and for pursuing legal action when assaults do occur. When incidents occur, the Department encourages the NHS to work with local police forces in seeking legal sanctions against anyone who is violent to staff. Joint working agreements on pursuing sanctions are in place between the NHS, the National Police Chiefs Council and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Hearing Aids

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure provision of hearing aids for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss on the NHS.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of clinical commissioning groups which are considering further restrictions on access to hearing aids; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss within their local population. As with other services which CCGs commission, they should take into consideration assessments of local need and any relevant guidance. Commissioning services for people with hearing loss: A framework for clinical commissioning groups, published by NHS England in July 2016, provides guidance to inform and support commissioners when making local decisions. NHS England’s ongoing engagement with commissioners and stakeholders within the hearing loss community will help to ensure that CCGs are commissioning high quality and cost effective hearing loss services that achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. NHS England does not hold the information requested centrally.

Health Services: Directors

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2016 to Question 57134, if he will publish the data on Regulation 5 breaches by each NHS trust; and how many people subject to enforcement activity are currently working in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised the following information:Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2016 to Question 57134, the CQC can confirm that of the 36 enforcement actions highlighted in that response, none related to National Health Service trusts. Whilst the CQC may have identified breaches of Regulation 5 in NHS trusts and not taken enforcement action, this information is not currently publically available. Additionally, the CQC does not regulate individuals and does not maintain a record of directors who are not fit and proper persons within the meaning of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The CQC’s responsibility in relation to this regulation is not to assess the fitness of directors but to check whether providers have the right systems and processes in place to assure themselves of fitness. As such there are no individuals that the CQC has taken enforcement action against under Regulation 5 working in the NHS. The CQC can take action against providers if they believe a provider is not robustly assured of whether an unfit person holds a directorship position.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2017 to Question 63022, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS England publishes the trajectories for meeting the eating disorder standard by 2020 for each clinical commissioning group.

Nicola Blackwood: Plans to meet the access and waiting time standards for eating disorders by 2020 are locally owned by clinical commissioning groups who are required and responsible for publishing these plans either via their website, or through public meetings.

Dental Services: Registration

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reimbursement applicants to the National Dental Performers' List receive as compensation for earnings lost while waiting for their applications to be processed in the event that such a period is longer than the target of 12 weeks.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applicants are awaiting a decision to join the National Dental Performers' List; and what the average time is applicants have been waiting for their application to be processed.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether dental practice owners will be financially penalised for not meeting their contractual activity targets in 2016-17 as a result of delays processing applications of their existing or potential members of staff to the National Dental Performers' List; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: NHS England’s standing guidance which sets out the expectation of a 12 week turn around for routine applications does not include any expectation of, or provision for, compensation if an application takes more than 12 weeks. The Performers List safeguards are important and are there for the protection of the public. Therefore, it is vital that Primary Care Support England and NHS England ensure each application provides the right evidence to enable it to be considered. For some applications it can take a number of months to properly complete these checks. NHS England has informed us that it is currently evaluating all consequences of the current delays associated with the processing of performer applications. NHS England advises that information on the total number of applicants awaiting a decision to join the National Dental Performers' List (new applications) and what the average time those applicants have been waiting for their application to be processed is not held in the format requested. New applications for a performer number are made by Dental Foundation Trainees (DFTs) and dentists who graduated from dental schools outside England seeking to work in the NHS in England. For new applications information is only held centrally on applications from DFTs. NHS England advise that of the 867 applications to join the performer list by DFTs waiting to be processed as at 9 February 2017, 866 of these have now been processed. Other applications to join the list, such as from dentists trained outside England are handled locally and numbers are not available centrally. NHS England advise, however, that they expect these also to be completed as a priority.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Pharmacy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential capacity of community pharmacists to help reduce demand on hospital accident and emergency departments.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to utilise the network of community pharmacies to reduce workload in (a) hospital accident and emergency departments and (b) general practice.

David Mowat: Community pharmacies are already the first port of call for many and the Government wants this to continue, and indeed, to increase. One of the aims of this year’s Stay Well This Winter campaign (as carried by national newspapers and television) is to reduce pressure on general practitioners (GP) and accident and emergency departments, by directing people with early symptoms to visit their community pharmacy. On 20 October 2016, the Government announced a package of reforms to ensure that the contribution of pharmacists and community pharmacies becomes integral to its plans for an integrated healthcare system as part of a truly seven day National Health Service. This includes the NHS Urgent Medicine Supply Advanced Service, whereby those who need urgent repeat medicines will be referred by NHS 111 directly to community pharmacies, thereby relieving pressure on GP out-of-hours services. In addition NHS England will encourage all clinical commissioning groups to commission local minor ailments services by April 2018, as part of an evidence-based, clinical and cost-effective approach to how community pharmacists and their teams contribute to urgent care in the NHS. Public Health England published a menu of preventative interventions for the Sustainability and Transformation Plans in November 2016, which outlined evidence-based public health and preventative interventions that can help to improve the health of the population and reduce health and care services demand in the short to medium term.

Palbociclib

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with charities on the future of the drug palbociclib (Ibrance).

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with metastatic breast cancer patients on the future availability of the Ibrance form of the drug palbociclib.

Nicola Blackwood: Through its technology appraisal programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides independent, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. NICE is currently appraising palbociclib in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for treating hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in adults. NICE published its draft guidance on 3 February and stakeholders have until 24 February to comment on its draft recommendations. NICE expects to publish its final guidance in June 2017.

Pharmacy: Recruitment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made on plans to employ up to 2,000 pharmacists in general practices across the country; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: To date, the pilot programme has successfully integrated 491 clinical pharmacists into 658 general practices across England. Funding is now available for the deployment of the further 1,500 clinical pharmacists in general practices by 2020. The online application portal for funding has been open since 9 January 2017. Providers of general practice medical services will be able to apply for the programme funding over at least the next three years. We expect the first cohort of successful applicants to be announced in March 2017. Upon announcement of a successful application, providers of general practice medical services are expected to commence recruitment and make all reasonable efforts to appoint clinical pharmacists into general practices as soon as possible.

Homeopathy

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2017 to Question 61848, if he will take steps to amend the definition of the philosophy of homeopathy (a) on the NHS Choices website and (b) in other public-facing media.

Nicola Blackwood: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency updated its description of homeopathy on Gov.uk on 27 January. Content on other websites is a matter for other providers.

Women and Equalities

Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the planned date is for publication of the evaluation report on the Access to Elected Office pilot fund.

Caroline Dinenage: We intend to publish the evaluation report on the Access to Elected Office pilot Fund in due course.

Public Sector: Equality

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure the effective application of the public sector equality duty.

Caroline Dinenage: Each public authority is responsible for ensuring compliance with the public sector equality duty within its organisation. The Government Equalities Office is currently updating its guidance on the public sector equality duty for Government Departments, in addition to the provision of ongoing support and training as necessary.

Gender: Equality

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the Government plans to increase the level of engagement between government, civil society and women's organisations on gender equality.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities and I have regular meetings and engagement with women’s organisations and organisations that represent the views of women. In November last year we held our Annual National NGO Consultation Event, organised by the Government Equalities Office, where we heard the views of around 100 women’s organisations from across the UK. We will be looking forward to taking part in a variety of events and activities to mark International Women’s Day and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2017.We are currently looking at how we can make better use of social media and other digital channels to increase the reach and frequency of our engagement with women’s groups.

Gender: Equality

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with her Cabinet colleagues on the implementation plan for Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Caroline Dinenage: I have regular meetings with my ministerial colleagues at which we discuss a range of issues related to gender equality, including the implementation of SDG5.